Do You Know... Caffeine

Do You Know...

What is it? Caffeine is a stimulant that speeds up your

central nervous system. It is the world’s most Caffeine popular drug. Caffeine occurs naturally in products such as coffee, tea, chocolate and cola soft drinks, and is added to a variety of prescription and over-the-counter medications, including cough, cold and pain remedies. Energy drinks may contain both naturally occurring and added caffeine.

The following are typical amounts of caffeine in products you may use regularly. (A cup refers to a small take-out cup size of 237 mL [8 oz]. Keep in mind that coffee and tea are often served in much larger cups.) ·· cup of brewed coffee: 135 mg ·· cup of instant coffee: 76–106 mg ·· cup of decaffeinated coffee: about 3 mg ·· cup of tea: 43 mg ·· can of regular cola soft drink containing caffeine (355 ml): 36–50 mg ·· can of energy drink (250 ml): 80 mg ·· dark chocolate (28 g): 19 mg ·· milk chocolate (28 g): 7 mg ·· packet of hot chocolate mix: 7 mg ·· stay-awake pills: 100 mg

1/4 © 2003, 2011 CAMH | www.camh.ca To find out the amount of caffeine in headache and cold Who uses caffeine? medicines, check the label of over-the-counter medication, Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance or ask your pharmacist about caffeine in prescription drugs. in the world. In North America, more than 80 per cent of adults regularly consume caffeine. The average amount In Canada, manufacturers of products that contain of caffeine consumed per person in Canada (from all naturally occurring caffeine are not required by law to sources) is estimated to be 210 to 238 mg per day. list caffeine as an ingredient on the label. Only added caffeine must be listed. Because some of the caffeine in In Canada, coffee consumption increased from 96 litres energy drinks may come from plant ingredients, such as per person in 1990 to 106 litres per person in 2009. yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) and guarana (Paullinia Consumption of tea has also increased, up from 42 litres cupana), caffeine may not be listed on the label. per person in 1990 to 77 litres per person in 2009.

Where does caffeine come from? The consumption of energy drinks is also on the rise. Per The words caffeine and coffee are both derived from the capita consumption in Canada was 1.1 litres in 2006, Arabic word qahweh (pronounced “kahveh” in Turkish). up from 0.8 litres in 2001. Energy drinks have become The origins of the words reflect the spread of coffee into popular at parties and dance clubs, and are often used in Europe via Arabia and Turkey from northeast Africa, combination with alcohol. where coffee trees were cultivated in the sixth century. Coffee began to be popular in Europe in the 17th century. How does caffeine make you feel? By the 18th century, plantations had been established in Caffeine stimulates the brain, elevates the mood and Indonesia and the West Indies, and by the 20th century postpones fatigue. It also enhances performance at coffee had become the biggest cash crop on earth. simple intellectual tasks and at physical work that involves endurance, but not fine motor co-ordination. Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1819. It is also (Caffeine-caused tremor can reduce hand steadiness.) If found in tea; in cacao pods, and hence in cocoa and you consume caffeine before bedtime, you will likely take chocolate products; in kola nuts, used in the preparation longer to get to sleep, sleep for a shorter time and sleep of cola drinks; in the ilex plant, from whose leaves the less deeply. popular South American beverage yerba mate is prepared; and in guarana seeds, an ingredient in some energy drinks. Contrary to popular belief, drinking coffee will not help you to “sober up” if you’ve had too much alcohol. The The caffeine content of coffee beans varies according caffeine will make you more alert, but your co-ordination to the species of the coffee plant. Beans from Coffea and concentration will still be impaired. arabica, grown mostly in Central and South America, contain about 1.1 per cent caffeine. Beans from Coffea Too much caffeine can give you a headache, upset your robusta, grown mostly in Indonesia and Africa, contain stomach, make you nervous and jittery and leave you about 2.2 per cent caffeine. unable to sleep. It can also cause flushed face, increased urination, muscle twitching and agitation. Some people What does caffeine look like? feel these effects even with a very small amount (in some In its pure form, caffeine is a white, bitter-tasting people as little as 250 mg, or two cups of coffee a day). powder. Larger doses of caffeine, especially when consumed by people who don’t usually take caffeine, can cause rapid heartbeat, convulsions and even delirium.

2/4 | © 2003, 2011 CAMH | www.camh.ca How long does the feeling last? miscarriage and of the baby having a low birth weight. When taken in beverage form, caffeine begins to take Caffeine is excreted in breast milk. Babies of mothers effect within five minutes, and reaches its peak effect in who drink large amounts of caffeine while nursing may be about 30 minutes. It takes about four hours for half of irritable and sleep poorly. Pregnant and nursing women a given dose of caffeine to be metabolized by the body. are advised to limit their caffeine intake to no more than Normally, almost all ingested caffeine is metabolized, 300 mg a day, or a little less than two cups of coffee. and there is no day-to-day accumulation of the drug in the body. Is caffeine addictive? Regular use of caffeine can make you physically Is caffeine dangerous? dependent on caffeine. That means that if you abruptly Moderate amounts of caffeine—up to about 400 mg stop using caffeine-containing products, you may a day (e.g., about three 237 mL cups of coffee)—will feel edgy and tired and have a bad headache. These rarely harm an otherwise healthy adult. But if you symptoms usually appear 18 to 24 hours after the last regularly drink more than six to eight cups of coffee— use of caffeine, and gradually fade over the following or your daily dose of caffeine, from various caffeine- week. containing products, is higher than 600 mg—you may have trouble sleeping and feel anxious and restless. What are the long-term effects of taking caffeine? Higher amounts can cause extreme agitation, tremors Healthy adults do not appear to suffer any long-term and a very rapid and irregular heartbeat. Consuming effects from consuming moderate doses of caffeine daily. more than 5,000 mg over a short time can be fatal. This amount is the equivalent of about 40 cups of coffee. Long-term use of large amounts of caffeine (e.g., four Combining high doses of caffeine with alcohol can be cups of coffee a day) may be associated with loss of dangerous because caffeine can make you feel less bone density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Post- intoxicated, so you may continue to drink more or to menopausal women are especially at risk. behave in ways that are risky to you and others. Caffeine use appears to be associated with irregular Energy drinks containing caffeine should not be confused heartbeat and may raise cholesterol levels, but there with sports drinks. When used during periods of intense is no firm evidence that caffeine causes heart disease. physical activity, sports drinks can help to quench thirst, Although caffeine is suspected to be a cause of cancer, while energy drinks can cause dehydration. the evidence is contradictory and does not allow a clear conclusion. Some studies indicate that caffeine can Small amounts of caffeine have a greater effect on cause changes in the cells of the body and in the way children because of their smaller body size. Health these cells reproduce themselves. Canada recommends that caffeine intake from chocolate products, soft drinks and medications be limited to ‑45 mg for children aged four to six, 62.5 mg for children aged seven to nine and 85 mg for children aged 10 to 12. Older children should limit their intake to 2.5 mg/kg of body weight.

Although caffeine has not been proven to cause birth defects, too much caffeine can increase the risk of

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